Calama’s Top Outdoor Activities: Explore the Chilean Desert

Calama, just a city planted in the core of the Atacama, offers almost access to landscapes that are both incredibly stunning yet totally other worldly. Forget crowded tourist traps, okay? So, you get the true heart of the driest desert that can be found! This guide walks you through five experiences you should consider in the Calama area. From gazing at seemingly a billion stars at night, right to wandering around through some old mining sites, that still stand in Chile; there really should be something that is a bit interesting for everybody.

1. Stargazing in the Atacama Desert

The Atacama is very well known around the whole planet, too its really dark skies. Actually it is some of the prime stargazing in this little section of planet. With close to little light interference together with extremely dry air, observations turn out to be, nearly almost crystal! Various tours tend to run out of Calama, they bring people deep into the desert. These escapades tend to incorporate, powerful telescopes, and some expert guidance. You may see planets, some nebulas, plus quite a range of galaxies that are basically hanging over there. Take warm layers; as soon as sunlight lowers, too the desert turns a bit chilly, as a matter of fact!

Tips for Stargazing

• Book a Tour: It’s almost advisable to go alongside, a guide since they know all about locations and how the instruments should be properly working.
• Check the Moon Phase: Full moonlight will totally destroy all potential to clearly watch that night sky.
• Dress Warmly: That can not be emphasized enough. Actually it’s always chill right after sunset.

2. Exploring the Archaeological Site of Chiu Chiu

You can discover some ancient past in Chiu Chiu; just around 30 km far away from Calama. That small community is one of the older settlements that dot the Chilean part, anyway. Pay some respect to that old Church of San Francisco, that’s like very old but totally cool. Constructed entirely from adobe plus cactus timber during the 1600s. Near the church, that lagoon is great to chill while looking into many indigenous birds; of course providing a little touch that isn’t like other dusty scenery!

You probably understand Chile’s history! However, there are many things to discover about it; Chile happens to hide secrets from even its biggest experts. Anyway, I found it was important to explore Chile. Chiu-Chiu’s historical background enhances almost any person’s vision as a tourist or archaeologist in search for an understanding of past civilizations’ remnants.

Highlights of Chiu Chiu

• Church of San Francisco: A step back into religious past.
• Chiu Chiu Lagoon: Relaxing, watching those beautiful, diverse wildlife

3. Hiking in the Rainbow Valley (Valle Arcoíris)

The Rainbow Valley will totally live up the description once going into there! Roughly a 1.5-hour road trip out from Calama and you get an astonishing array of rock formations splashed out right everywhere featuring quite the collection of colorful hues! The range goes out from reds; right on into greens, plus, yeah whites too. Those minerals that happen to compose the rock, will tend to expose an assortment of colorful displays with quite spectacular views, that are a must see! That hike, tends to also stay a bit easy-going meaning folks ranging from every level fitness, that would go into this area of beauty! Bring lots of hydration together, with high SPF, though!

What to Expect

• Vibrant Landscapes: Color is going wild everywhere on those rock textures.
• Easy to Moderate Hike: Basically suited from every fitness level types!
• Photography Opportunities: So lots of photograph potentials which might result on, very high picturesque sceneries.

4. Visiting the Chuquicamata Open-Pit Mine

It seems to stand just nearby Calama. The Chuquicamata becomes one of the bigger surface excavations anywhere across our Earth, is that weird?! The tours use, and teach people, everything relating into all phases with surface operations, which give lots of little factoids upon, so yeah the Chilean excavation sector and the overall relevance within. Actually the measurements by means in which, with respect into only with how vast, yet impressive, a crater exists from having humans created turns out mind-boggling that one cannot pass.

Tour Highlights

• Scale: Comprehend how huge plus large is really.
• History: Study of excavation plus impact for our country and across this globe in it.

5. Exploring the El Tatio Geysers (Day Trip)

If getting pretty brave, too that gets very earlier going onto an overnight tour onto El Tatio’s geysers becomes such memorable occurrence yet somewhat remote off, that Atacama. This spot comes to turn into placed really tall atop mountain summits around elevations right onto, just nearly, altitude heights nearly just onto fourteen thousand, and it makes sure they show an incredible vision upon sunrise! That intense temperature range occurs during that early daylight comes to deliver geysers erupt right through fumaroles releasing into vapor steam clouds. Plan onward plus consider heat protection together, a very, high respect onto very severe extremes.

One very cool piece to know when coming over that kind towards remote part? When going near thermal areas one could find boiling pools therefore safety measure becomes an utmost requirement there!.

Things to Remember

• Early Start: Actually come at very light out as geysers operate most vibrantly out through sunbreak.
• Altitude: Get extremely gentle from effects out due with elevated peaks and bring something warm with them as in thermals and cold wears both types